Nui Beach ⛱️

What to do on Nui Beach?

UPDATE: Nui Beach is reopened, with a 200 baht entry fee per person

Nui Beach is an unusual beach in Phuket. It’s not the most magnificent beach as the sand is quite coarse, but people seem to love secret and hidden beaches. The harder they are to find, the more travellers want to go to them, and Nui Beach is one of the last. Nui Beach was closed for about a year and was almost forgotten. It reopened in a much friendlier way under the name of Water Beach Club and even had a recent upgrade that turned it into an Instagram playground.

Nui Beach wasn’t entirely unknown, but it was hard to reach, and the entry fee requested on arrival was up to 500 baht at one point. This was discouraging or even upsetting to visitors, especially when they took the time to drive down the long, dangerous dirt road. This fee has been lifted, but getting a 4-wheel drive truck to take you down the very long and treacherous road is still a fee.

To place things in their context, you need to understand that, by law, private beaches are not allowed in Thailand. We explained the situation several times in this blog: if you are the lucky owner of the land that surrounds the beach, you can deny access to the beach or charge the amount of your choice to allow access. It’s a bit tough, but in some ways, you wouldn’t want people to cross your garden all day long just because that’s the easiest way to go to the supermarket.

Nui Beach, not to confuse it with Ya Nui Beach, is not a great beach, but it has the charm of a secret hideaway cove surrounded by tall coconut trees. It is a small bay at the end of a bumpy and dusty dirt road. To get there, you almost have to deserve it.

How to Get to Nui Beach

Nui Beach is located somewhere between Kata Beach and Nai Harn beach. In a way, it’s very easy to spot the entrance of the dirt road that leads to it: 1) just past the super famous Karon Viewpoint and 2) there is even a clear road sign pointing at it from the main road! The first half of the road isn’t too bad, so you can drive your bike or car until you reach a set of bamboo bars.

At this point, you will have to choose: ride the truck for 200 baht per person (including return) or walk down 2 km in the heat and dust of a steep slope. Our recommendation? Save your time, sweat and effort and get there the easy way for 200 baht!

Once you reach the beach down the hill, you will discover a lovely small bay with many thatched huts and wooden terraces. The place was quite nice after the first set of renovations, but the second round was the result of someone’s smart idea. The beach is surrounded by Instagram settings where people, mostly Asian millennials, have tons of fun doing what they do best: posing in summer dresses with straw hats and making cute faces and manicured poses.

What to Do on Nui Beach

Large boulders surround Nui beach, making it a great snorkelling experience. Snorkelling gear used to be available for rent, but it would probably be better to carry your own set.

There are a few umbrellas on the beach (no beach chairs) and a large shaded restaurant where you can order some Thai food and some much-needed cold drinks (100 baht for a beer, 60 baht for a soft drink and 299 baht for that famous bucket!) Further up, you can even enjoy a Thai massage.

Strangely, a ‘Bangkok Tuk-Tuk’ in perfect condition is parked next to the restaurant (see photo below). In case you don’t know yet, tuk-tuks in Phuket are very different from those in Bangkok and Chiang Mai (3 wheels in Bangkok, 4 wheels in Phuket).

Nui Beach has a large interesting set of toilets, all made of bamboo and newspapers! And it will cost you 10 baht to use them: to keep them clean and for water supply says the sign. And indeed the toilets were surprisingly clean!

Conclusion? Nui Beach is one of those few beaches in Phuket that require effort to reach, so it will never get crowded and somehow, it has the charm of a secret hideaway.

Nui Beach Photos

---

More beaches in Phuket